Microsurgical procedures in a variety of surgical fields, including, for example, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, and neurosurgery, frequently require precision cutting and/or removing various body tissues. Due to the delicate nature of these procedures, it is important that the hand holding the surgical instrument has a firm support throughout the procedure to facilitate small and precise movements. Even small movements can lead to complication or injury, especially to delicate tissues such as the cornea, lens, and retina. Surgeons may experience problematic involuntary motions during surgery such as tremor due to stress, fatigue, or medical conditions.
Traditional wrist rests used in microsurgery are stationary and firm supports that are secured in a fixed position relative to the operating platform prior to or during the surgery. For example, the Chan wrist rest is the conventional wrist support most commonly used today in microsurgical procedures. The Chan wrist rest is a curved, stationary, horseshoe-shaped bar that is positioned above and behind a patient's head to support the surgeon's arms and wrists during, for example, ophthalmic surgery. The bar of the Chan wrist rest is entirely disposed in a horizontal plane above the patient's head. In the case of eye surgery, this design presents a problem because the surgeon must often adopt uncomfortable and unsuitable wrist and hand positions against the support to accomplish a given surgical maneuver. Moreover, this type of wrist support does not address or attempt to lessen involuntary motions of the surgeon.
There is a need for a support device that permits a surgeon or other operator to comfortably rest his or her hand on the support device while also dampening inadvertent movements of the operator's arm (e.g., involuntary tremors of the forearm and/or wrist). The present invention is directed to addressing these deficiencies in the prior art.